"Why Valve's SteamOS could be revolutionary."

It's a long read and it's up to you to read it all, but I found it to be an interesting enough article to share amongst you.

Feel free to discuss it.

#2steveboblarryPosted 11/18/2013 5:37:17 AM

GABEN FOR PRESIDENT!!!!---Official TimePharaoh Fanboy #1Put this in your sig if you are a TimePharaoh fanboy

#3AsellusPosted 11/18/2013 7:17:25 AM

It's a good article.

So, as the console business model is imploding, Steam Machines offers disruption to the normal lockdown model as well as the long hardware refresh cycle time, while still potentially offering the appealing interface simplicity of game consoles. Steam Machines expose and exploit the fact that there is no longer anything special or unique about video game consoles that commodity PC parts and a specialized fork of Linux can't do too. And because Steam Machines relies on standard PC parts, it benefits from not having the R & D costs of Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. And though the latter subsidize their hardware, over the course of a few years, thanks to Moore's Law, it will become harder to justify buying outdated hardware when a new Steam Machine (or your next phone upgrade) will become better and cheaper while also giving you a superior gaming experience.

This is really I think Valve's possible winning lever here. Every year that passes they (or more accurately their partners) can offer superior price/performance from the last. Both consoles are based on Jaguar apus, how do you suppose they'll fare against Jaguar's successor? The one after that? At the high end they can offer real 4k graphics, better framerates, all the good stuff you expect from a gaming pc.

And people always miss the point when they think of it as a conventional console. They aren't paying for R&D on custom hardware nor are they losing money on it. There's no real cost for developing it either that's greater than "Do a Linux version of your game" and hey, doing an OSX version of your game gives you 99% of the work on that anyways.

#4ThePCElitistPosted 11/18/2013 7:24:18 AM

While I agree with the article it will be pretty much impossible to convince the average console gamer that the Steambox is better than their console. Especially when they seem to have the false belief that their graphics will match high-end PC's in 5 years because of that magic buzzword "optimization" tossed around.---I hate windows 8!

#5SinisterSlayPosted 11/18/2013 7:41:24 AM

ThePCElitist posted...

While I agree with the article it will be pretty much impossible to convince the average console gamer that the Steambox is better than their console. Especially when they seem to have the false belief that their graphics will match high-end PC's in 5 years because of that magic buzzword "optimization" tossed around.

Yeah you can't just convince stupid people to be smart. Life doesn't work that way.---He who stumbles around in darkness with a stick is blind. But he who... sticks out in darkness... is... fluorescent! - Brother Silence

#6wildog2006Posted 11/18/2013 7:52:02 AM

SinisterSlay posted...

Yeah you can't just convince stupid people to be smart. Life doesn't work that way.

That was beautiful.---Insert generic offensive/slightly racist/holier than thou/fanboy/douchebag/elitist comment here.

#7zxelman(Topic Creator)Posted 11/18/2013 8:29:34 AM(edited)

ThePCElitist posted...

While I agree with the article it will be pretty much impossible to convince the average console gamer that the Steambox is better than their console. Especially when they seem to have the false belief that their graphics will match high-end PC's in 5 years because of that magic buzzword "optimization" tossed around.

"TO DA METAL" is what some people like to call it, so I've seen.

I'm a bit skeptical on how this whole mobile market will take off though, but that appears to be further down their priority list which is understandable. Gotta attempt to take off with the steambox before tackling the notorious mobile gaming market.

Edit: One thing I'd like to add without double-posting. If, somehow, Steam is able to add Linux support to the majority of the games they have on Steam, which is a chore and a hassle, as well as include Linux support for the rest of the new releases, which is also no small feat, imagine having $5-20 or so sales on the console market. Steam sales would certainly bring more of the cheapskate gamers from the mobile over to the console, if price was their leading reason in buying games.